


vows untaken

by weathering



Series: it's a slow burning fire [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Gen, Pre-Relationship, cullen and cassandra are bros, cullen gets a lot of crushes and cassandra stares directly into the camera
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-26
Updated: 2017-08-26
Packaged: 2018-12-20 06:31:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 553
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11915145
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/weathering/pseuds/weathering
Summary: Cullen's life would be much more dignified if he could stop crushing on the Herald of Andraste.





	vows untaken

The tavern is busy enough that Cullen can wind through the crowds without being noticed, his soldiers giving him nothing more than a passing nod or two before forgetting they saw him there. The barstool creaks as Cullen collapsed down on it, dropping his head down onto the bar and groaning quietly. Cassandra raises an eyebrow at him, taking another sip of her beer and waits for him to speak. When the seconds tick by and he still doesn’t move, she sighs and waves down the bartender. When Cullen’s head still doesn’t lift from his arms after his beer arrives, she nudges his arm with it, and he pulls it closer to himself before lifting his head to take a drink.

“What is it this time?” Cassandra asks, trying to keep her tone neutral and not to scowl when Cullen coughs and mumbles something into his tankard. “I am afraid I did not catch that.”

Cullen fidgets with his tankard, taking another drink before answering, eyes fixed firmly on his hands.

“The Herald asked me if Templars had vows of celibacy,” he says, blushing. “And then asked if I had taken them.”

“Does she now think that you’ve taken chastity vows?” She asks, and Cullen sputters, finally looking at Cassandra.

“What? No! You know very well that I have not taken any of…those sorts of vows,” he waves his free hand vaguely. “I managed to tell that I hadn’t, but changed the topic of conversation before I made more of a fool of myself. What else was I supposed to say?” he hisses, pulling his drink closer as his neck turns red. 

“I am sure she did not mean to embarrass you,” Cassandra starts, rolling her eyes when he casts her a skeptic look over the top of his tankard. “I don’t think she wants to bring you shame. It is likely just her personality. I spent two weeks trying to figure out how to tell her that I was not interested after she kept flirting with me at every instant, and when I told her she laughed at me and said she knew.”  

“So I shouldn’t worry because the Herald flirts with everyone, even though I am the only one who seems to be suffering this level of embarrassment?” Cullen grumbled into his beer. “Fantastic plan, Cassandra. I’ll just stop worrying about it, because that will clear things right up.” 

“You could just ask her to stop,” Cassandra points out. “She would not take offence.”

When Cullen doesn’t respond, she looks over at him to find him gazing intently at the tankard grasped tightly his hands, the blush on his neck having spread onto his face as well. Cassandra stares at him blankly for a moment and then sighs, rubbing her forehead.

 “…except you do not want her to stop, do you,” she states, and his blush deepens. She makes an effort not to roll her eyes.

“We are not discussing this,” he says sharply, catching a glance of the look of pity on her face. “Stop giving me that look. It’s fine.”

Instead of responding Cassandra just shakes her head and waves down the bartender again, pushing a second drink Cullen’s way as she moves onto her third. Maker knows she’ll need it, with the Commander pining after the Herald.

**Author's Note:**

> The first part of a longer series focusing on Ari and Cullen's relationship. Come find me on tumblr at onesparrow.tumblr.com


End file.
